The UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling men’s roster has finalized their roster with the addition of Hugo Velazquez, which gives the team a well-rounded 16-man squad. Keeping the core of the team from last season, three new riders have been to build on the successes of 2017 including Eric Marcotte, Serghei Tvetcov, and Hugo Velazquez.

Coming to the team from a primarily track racing background the 25-year-old Argentinian Velazquez joins the team from the Tusnad Cycling Team. Velazquez is the 2017 Pan American scratch race champion, capturing the gold medal earlier this year.

Sporting director Seba Alexandre notes, “I am really happy with the additions to the team this year, we have three completely different riders to finish out a strong program. The idea was to retain the core of the 2017 team, as we mostly built a new squad, but it takes an all-around team to get all the pieces to work together. I believe that while we had a really good season in 2017, the best is yet to come.”

Looking at 2018
The full racing calendar is set to be solidified in late January, however, the early season racing already includes confirmed appearances in South America at the Tour of San Juan in Argentina and the Vuelta Colombia Oro y Paz. In addition to the races in warmer climates, the team will return to Europe this year with appearances at races like GP Samyn, Johan Museeuw Classic, and Ronde Van Drenthe.

“Looking at the 2018 calendar we are excited to do a big block of international racing early in the season, and then arrive back in the U.S. in April focused and ready for major stage races,” sporting director Seba Alexandre added.

Return to Colombia for training
The team returns to the hills outside of Medellin, Colombia in January 2018 for training camp. After finding the roads and weather excellent for some hard early season training in 2017, the team is excited to head back to South America before the start of the season.

“The roads in Colombia are some of the best in the world. Pair that with excellent weather in the winter months, and it makes Colombia an easy choice for our training camp. We are excited to be back,” says director Seba Alexadre.

Departure
After eleven years with Momentum Sports Group, Mike Tamayo is leaving the organization to pursue other ventures. The organization will be moving forward with the leadership currently in place with Seba Alexandre and Hendrik Redant as sporting director for the men’s program, and Rachel Heal as sporting director for the women’s program.